Cocaine crop, production surges in Colombia

Colombia saw a sharp rise in both coca cultivation and cocaine production in 2014, rebounding from a decline the year before, a UN report released Thursday found. "The cultivation of coca leaf increased considerably in Colombia, going from 48,000 hectares in 2013 to 69,000 hectares in 2014," said Bo Mathiasen, the representative from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
The increase in cocaine production was even greater, more than doubling in 2014 from the previous year, he said. He said 442 tonnes of the drug was produced in 2014, compared to 290 the previous year.